"Survey Says"....
According to a recent article posted over on OutdoorsFirst website, apparently Elite Series pro Brandon Palaniuk does. Being from Idaho might help in the matter, as I imagine many bassers in the northern part of the country might chase other fish species for one reason or another, especially those in states that have closed seasons on bass.
As excerpted from the article:“The best part about walleye fishing where I live in Idaho is that when cold weather comes and the bass really stop biting, the walleye action just keeps getting better,” says Yamaha Pro Brandon Palaniuk, who devotes virtually all his fishing time between November and January to walleye.
That kind of tags in nicely with Jay’s post about the “freshwater doubles” team tourney deal. Looking at the stats generated from the Fish and Wildlife Service would suggest that a good portion of anglers do similar to Brandon.
One of the questions frequently posed on creel surveys is aimed at finding out just what species you are targeting during your day on the water. Biologists can use this information to help them decide what direction to steer certain fisheries, what species of fish they might stock, or determine specific catch rates per targeted species. The last national survey I saw had the following results:
- Black bass was the most popular with 44% of anglers fishing for them. This was followed by;
- Trout – 31%
- Panfish -Â 28%
- Catfish -Â 26%
- Crappie -Â 22%
- Whites/Stripes -Â 16%
- Anything – 15%
- “Other Fish” – 13%
- Walleye/Sauger -Â 11%
- Salmon -Â 4%
- Steelhead -Â 2%
Since respondents could check off boxes indicating they fished for more than one species, you end up with a sum of 212% if you total all the above. The question is how many bass anglers actually fish for something other than spots, smallies or largemouth?
I once had a guy accuse me of not being a “true” hardcore bassin man because I liked to chase crappie in late October and November after all our tourney events for the year were over. If that puts me in the same category as Brandon, then I guess that ain’t so bad.
So who is a “hardcore” bassin man only type of guy, and who goes multi-species to some degree or another? If you are multi-species, what else do you chase and why?
11 Comments
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Chad Keogh
December 19, 2011 at 8:01 am
Mine depends on what province I’m in. In BC, where I live, I am strictly a bass angler (99% smallie, 1% largie). However, I work in northern Alberta where no bass live, so I target perch, walleye, and pike.
Ken Cook
December 19, 2011 at 10:32 am
Now that I am retired, I like chasing Saugeye in local lakes. They bite like bass, don’t jump, but really make a frying pan worthwhile.
Bass Pundit
December 19, 2011 at 1:16 pm
Idiot totally closed bass season in the Land of 10,000 Lakes don’t cha know. So I fish for crappies, eyes, pike, and of coarse bowfin. I like to eat crappies and eyes (and pike as well if I can get someone to clean them properly for me). Once bass season starts they are my primary objective, but I usually do at least a few trips that are walleye specific where I will be perfectly happy if a Mille Lacs smallie bites instead..
Tumblebug
December 19, 2011 at 4:56 pm
I fish for trout, panfish, crappie, and whites/stripes also. Mostly anything that will hit an artifical lure or fly. I do it just for the the experience. Fishing is my escape. When I fish for trout, I fly fish.
Klinger N OK
December 19, 2011 at 7:34 pm
Primarily a bass fisherman, but I love to catch walleye, saugeye and crappie for the eating. Catfishing can be a blast when they are running up the river. Hybrids and stripers pull like nothing else in freshwater and look like a stick of dynamite hitting a topwater!
Yep, I’m a multi species guy.
BryanT
December 20, 2011 at 8:57 am
Walleye and crappie for me. Till L Geneva freezes I’m out there still catching walleye at dark smallies during the day. Crappie are done on the lakes I like, I can walk on the water there.
Scott Moore
December 20, 2011 at 9:59 am
I fish primarily for bass (mostly largemouths and smallmouths) but I’m on a personal quest to catch 200 different species. I’m currently at 58, with a goal of 70 by the end of 2012. About half of the fish I catch are bass, and I almost exclusively fish artificials, but I also keep another rod handy to fish crawlers or larvae for whatever else is around.
admin (mostly Jay)
December 20, 2011 at 10:16 am
Scott, that’s cool man! When you have younger kids, like I do, you fish for whatever bites. We also spend a bunch o’ time on the salt every summer. When you can feel a light bass bite, the salty stuff (and most other stuff) is pretty easy.
Scott Moore
December 20, 2011 at 10:50 am
I have a 6-year-old daughter who loves to fish, so we go for sunfish and trout. I’m in southwestern Virginia, so there’s a lot of different stuff I can chase, and I’ve found a group of rednecks, fishing geeks, and Mexicans with a similar passion.
The Clinch River drainage in the upper Tennessee watershed has so many different species of fish that I could probably get 120 eventually, just fishing there.
Randy S. Breth
December 21, 2011 at 3:04 pm
Pretty hardcore multi-species guy here. I love Bassin’ but I love chasing big Trout with conventional or fly gear, small stream trout, panfish, Stripers, Walleye – you name it.
One of my favorites is river Smallmouth Bass – on fly gear.
MattBass
April 16, 2012 at 10:10 am
First Love (and still Best): Largemouth.
But, having lived (and traveled) all over, I’ve chased ’em all.
“Other” Faves: (1) For sport – Smallies / Spots, Pike, (2) For pan – Whites, Crappies, Walleyes, (3) In the salt – Sails (oh, yeah!)
Went thru a phase: Fly-only for trout. Could not hold my interest.
Micropterously yours,
Matt